2024-08-18 07:00:31
François Lehn, science/health journalist and author for 20 years, renowned “feather” and assistant to Professor David Servan-Schreiber.
Francois Lehn’s latest articles (see all)
Our modern lifestyle, with its excess of animal products and lack of fruits and vegetables, has led to an alarming increase in the incidence of kidney and cardiovascular diseases. But new research shows that simple changes in diet can have a huge impact on our overall health. In fact, by eating more fruits and vegetables, we can reduce acidity in the body, thereby reducing the load on the kidneys and improving heart health. Let’s explore how this innovative approach to nutrition can help us prevent and manage these major health issues.
Benefits of reducing body acidity
A recent study found thatAdding just 2 to 4 extra servings of fruits and vegetables each day can bring significant improvements to people with chronic kidney disease. These dietary changes improved kidney health, lowered blood pressure, and reduced other cardiovascular risk factors. But how can lowering body acidity have such an impact?
The key role of acid-base balance
The process of digesting animal foods, such as meat, tends to acidify the body. In contrast, the digestion of most fruits and vegetables has an alkalizing effect. However, to maintain balance, the kidneys must constantly eliminate excess acid from the blood through urine. When the body becomes too acidic, this task becomes more difficult, ultimately weakening the kidneys.
How fruits and vegetables improve kidney and heart health
By eating more fruits and vegetables, we reduce the workload on our kidneys and no longer have to manage as much acidity.. This helps relieve stress on these vital organs and maintain their function over the long term. Additionally, the reduction in body acidity also has a positive impact on cardiovascular health. In particular, it can help lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and body mass index, thereby reducing the risk of stroke and heart attack.
Revealing research on long-term effects
To better understand these mechanisms, researchers studied people with hypertension and chronic kidney disease for five years. They divided the participants into three groups:
Those who were asked to add 2 to 4 cups of fruits and vegetables to their daily diet.
Those who take baking soda (an antacid) twice a day to neutralize acidity.
The control group received standard medical care.
Impressive and long-lasting results
The results of this study are particularly encouraging. At the end of five years, the participants who ate more fruits and vegetables not only had improved kidney health, but also had lower blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index. Remarkably, they were even able to reduce the dose of antihypertensive medications.
What’s really impressive about this study is that the participants managed to maintain these dietary changes long-term, for up to five years.. Many times, dietary changes are only temporary. But here, participants successfully integrated these new habits sustainably, resulting in substantial and lasting benefits to their health.
Encourage a food-based approach
These results underscore the importance of placing diet at the core of renal and cardiovascular disease management. Unfortunately, many doctors still feel uncomfortable recommending nutritional changes to their patients, preferring to focus on medication.
Yet this study clearly shows that fruits and vegetables should be the cornerstone of hypertension management, Medications intervene in a complementary manner only when necessary. In fact, participants who ate more fruits and vegetables were able to improve kidney and heart health while taking less antihypertensive medications.
Simple and sustainable strategy
One of the advantages of this nutritional approach is its simplicity. It’s not about cutting out or restricting certain foods, it’s about adding fruits and vegetables to your diet. Participants also showed that they were able to make these changes in a sustainable way, replacing the most expensive components of their previous diets, such as processed meat, with fruits and vegetables.
Pay attention to diet and improve health
This study convincingly demonstrates that making simple changes to our diets, focusing on increasing our intake of fruits and vegetables, can have long-term beneficial effects on our kidney and cardiovascular health. By reducing the acidity of the body, we can reduce the workload on the kidneys and improve the risk of heart disease. This innovative approach to nutrition should be further encouraged by health professionals as it provides a sustainable and easy-to-use solution for preventing and managing these major health problems.
Did you find this article useful?
1723965773
#Eating #vegetables #improve #acidity #body
